CEBU, Philippines - The invincible Cebu City contingent begins its quest to assert its lofty billing as the region’s undisputed sports superpower as action in the 2010 Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) Meet goes full blast today at separate venues in Danao City.
Since 1993, no other delegation has defeated Cebu City for the overall championship of the annual sports conclave that gathers the region’s based school-based athletes from the elementary and secondary level.
Even if the Department of Education (DepED) has changed its system in determining the overall winner of the multi-event spectacle, from medal count to points system, Cebu City was able to hold on its ground.
As usual, Cebu Province, Dumaguete City and Oriental Negros pose as Cebu City’s strongest opponents.
But instead of getting stronger, Cebu Province and Oriental Negros have somehow weakened with more divisions being added, while Dumaguete mainly banked on its swimmers and football players to deliver the goods.
The likes of host Danao, Bogo, Carcar, and Naga are no longer under the umbrella of Cebu Province .
For Oriental Negros, only Guinhulngan decided to join forces with its mother division as Bais, Bayawan and Tanjay will compete on their own.
The rest of the competing delegations are Bohol, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Siquijor, Tagbilaran City , Talisay City and Toledo City.
For DepEd regional director Recaredo Borgonia, he wants to see the best performances of the athletes this time so CVIRAA will have a better representation in the Palarong Pambansa set from April 11 to 17 in Tarlac City.
Borgonia observed that even if CVIRAA ranked fourth overall in the last Palaro in Tacloban, the difference of points and achievement between the overall champion and CVIRAA was so huge.
“We hope to come up with the best athletes to represent Region VII. If not no.1, we hope we will do better in the upcoming Palaro,” Borgonia said earlier.
Except for elementary tennis in Liloan and swimming at the Cebu City Sports Center, all events will be staged in different areas in Danao. The selection of Mr. and Ms. CVIRAA will take place tomorrow, while dancesport will be done on the 12th. (FREEMAN NEWS)